Had a cop threaten to shoot my dog...need advice

Guess what, if your dog is not on a leash, and your town has a leash law that says dogs must be on a leash at all times.

Then a police officer can shoot your dog without cause, if he considers it a threat to anyone on your property or not, or if he considers it to be interfering with the performance of his duty.

Further if your dog bares it's teeth or growls while barking, at any person, any civilian can legally consider your dog a threat and take what ever action he or she deems necessary to defend themselves whether or not it is on a leash.

Your Dog may be a sweat little puppy, but many people have a fear of dogs, on a leash or not. They do not know what a wonderful animal you have, and legally they don't have to wait for you to expain it to them, or take the risk of serious injury to themselves, they only have to demonstrate they are afraid and took action to protect themselves, from you and your dog. Because you are liable for what ever your dog does.

And if your Dog in anyway threatens someone by barking or lunging, or growling them, it may be considered an assualt.
Further their are outlawed breeds, and if your dog is an outlawed breed it may be detained and destroyed, and you have no recourse under the law.

Usually Wolf Dog breeds are banned, and some cities ban Pit Bulls. Further large aggressive Dogs represent a serious liability to their owners, because they are considered dangerous to humans, irregardless of temperment.


If you call the police, to your residence, then they have probably cause, to do what ever it takes to investigate that call. Since legally you have waived your rights, requiring a search warrant. They can search you house, test you for drugs, examine your vehicles to make sure they are up to date, ask for your ID, to run for outstanding Warrants, traffic citations. And if you do not cooperate 100%, in their judgement you can be detained.

I had a friend once, who was taking a shower. While she was in the shower two Seventh day adventists, opened her front door and came in to Deliver a Watchtower Magazine, without being invighted, since obviously no one let them in. Her large an beautiful German Sheppared began barking and growling at them, so they used her phone, to call the police. When my friend got out of the shower to find out what was going on the police, came took the dog away and had it destroyed. The Seventh Day Adventists later sued her.

All legal under City ordinance, dogs must be on a leash or controlled at all times, particularly large and what could be considered potentially dangerous animals.

OP, this is the WORST place to come for support! Most of these people don't see you as a real human being who's upset and needs some comaraderie.

I know when you feel better, you'll make the decision you need to make for yourself, and not for the
"Anonymous Cowards." Best of luck to you!

I know this isn't the best place for advice, but I am sooooo pisssed!

My husband and I had a fight 2 nights in a row about money. I told him I was not sitting here listening to his shit for another day (fri). I came home from work at 12:30am sat morning and he started in. I had had 2 glasses of wine, but by 2:30 I knew I was leaving. So I packed up some clothes and things. Got my dogs stuff and told him I was going to my mothers to chill and he needed to decide if he wanted to work it out or not. He took the car keys and refused to let me have them. I called 911 to report that he would not let me leave. DH hung up on them, but they called back. DH said I was drunk and he was afraid for me to drive. (lie) I told the dispatcher that I had had 2 glasses of wine since 12:30 and it was 3am now. The dispatcher said that I should be fine, but wanted me to wait as he had an officer in route.

I walked out to load my stuff in the car without realizing there were 4 cop cars in my driveway and my 2 dogs ran out with me. The first cop had a dog in his car that was madly barking at my dogs. My dogs barked back of course. The cop told me that I had better put my dogs up or he was going to shoot them! I replied that he had better get off my property then as I did not ask for him to be there! He then threatened to lock me up for disorderly conduct, I told him to go right ahead! He was an ASS!

Then a second cop took me aside and asked what was going on. He gave me a blow test, I passed with flying colors and he told the ASS, that I was to have my keys and my dogs and they were leaving. I want to file a complaint against the asshole, and my husband doesn't want to start any trouble.

I feel he had no right to threaten me or my dogs on my property when I had done nothing wrong. How can a cop even be intrusted with a canine unit, if he is that willing to shoot another dog? I am ready to hire a lawyer over the whole thing.

I am in no way afraid of any cop, my husband might be, but I am not. I am almost 50years old. If they want to push around the 20 somethings and can get away with it, shame on them. I refuse to allow them to push me around. I am angry because the cop threatened me and my dogs for no good reason other than he is an ASS!




anger is still fear.

anger is fear of having to accept a situation.

if you were in control of the situation you would be able to accept it without trouble.

thus it falls back to what i said on my other post. :P

I know this isn't the best place for advice, but I am sooooo pisssed!

My husband and I had a fight 2 nights in a row about money. I told him I was not sitting here listening to his shit for another day (fri). I came home from work at 12:30am sat morning and he started in. I had had 2 glasses of wine, but by 2:30 I knew I was leaving. So I packed up some clothes and things. Got my dogs stuff and told him I was going to my mothers to chill and he needed to decide if he wanted to work it out or not. He took the car keys and refused to let me have them. I called 911 to report that he would not let me leave. DH hung up on them, but they called back. DH said I was drunk and he was afraid for me to drive. (lie) I told the dispatcher that I had had 2 glasses of wine since 12:30 and it was 3am now. The dispatcher said that I should be fine, but wanted me to wait as he had an officer in route.

I walked out to load my stuff in the car without realizing there were 4 cop cars in my driveway and my 2 dogs ran out with me. The first cop had a dog in his car that was madly barking at my dogs. My dogs barked back of course. The cop told me that I had better put my dogs up or he was going to shoot them! I replied that he had better get off my property then as I did not ask for him to be there! He then threatened to lock me up for disorderly conduct, I told him to go right ahead! He was an ASS!

Then a second cop took me aside and asked what was going on. He gave me a blow test, I passed with flying colors and he told the ASS, that I was to have my keys and my dogs and they were leaving. I want to file a complaint against the asshole, and my husband doesn't want to start any trouble.

I feel he had no right to threaten me or my dogs on my property when I had done nothing wrong. How can a cop even be intrusted with a canine unit, if he is that willing to shoot another dog? I am ready to hire a lawyer over the whole thing.

I am going to bump this up to see if I can get some of the dog/gun lovers to chime in. If I went onto someone else's property to hunt or whatever, I would be cautious of the dogs until they got used to me, but I would never threaten them.

OP, this is the WORST place to come for support! Most of these people don't see you as a real human being who's upset and needs some comaraderie.

I know when you feel better, you'll make the decision you need to make for yourself, and not for the
"Anonymous Cowards." Best of luck to you!


That's funny, StarKissed, because it has been two "Anonymous Cowards" that have given the best advice: AC624751 and AC510028. Both told her to forget about it because the officer was within the law.

They are correct. It doesn't matter that OP's dogs are well trained. What matters under the law is the amount of threat the officer perceived.

I had an altercation last week with a meter reader over my dog. We were in the backyard and i had his collar off and he wasnt on his runner as he was getting ready for a bath when all the sudden he goes nuts and runs over to the corner of the house. The guy had no idea i was there i guess and approached my dog trying to pet it i guess, but my dog was having none of it and barking and growling more and more the closer he came to entering my back yard. There is no fence but my dog will not go past the corner of the house. Anyhow this asshole pulls out he mace. So i say "What the fuck do you think your doing" he jumped, not realizing i had been standing there the whole time. He started babbling about the dog not being confined or tied. I asked him why he walked back here as the meter is on the front of my house, he said he wanted to pet the dog. I said and the dog didnt want to be petted, he is protecting his yard, thats what dogs do. Why would you pull out your mace instead of just moving along. He started babling about he was scared to turn his back on the dog and whatnot. I told him he had about 3 seconds to get out of my yard or the dog would be the least of his worries. Im 6'2 230....he was about 5'7 150....he left pretty quick.